Rein-guard for whiffletrees



(No Model.)

I. E. COREY.

REIN GUARD FOR WHIFFLETREES. No. 322,909. Patented July 28, 1885.

u PETER5. Pmvuzmn mr, Washington, 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICEO FRANK E. COREY, OF WESIBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

RElN-GUARD FOR WHiFFLETREES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,909, dated July 28, 1885. Application filed March 30, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK E. COREY, of Westborough, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rein-Guards for Whiifletrees; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a top or plan View of a portion of one of the thills and of the cross bar and whiffletree of an ordinary carriage with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a transverse vertical section of the cross-bar of the thills and whiffietree shown in Fig. 1, taken on line a I), looking in the direction of arrow cl of said Fig. 1, showing a side view of my improved rein-guard. Fig. 3 represents a Vertical transverse section through one of the thills looking in the direction of arrow 6, Fig. 1, showing a side View of a part of the whiffletree, cross-bar, and my improved reinguard. Fig. 4 represents upon an enlarged scale a central vertical section through the parts shown in Fig. 1, taken on line c, looking in the direction indicated by arrow 6 of said Fig. 1, also showing by dotted lines a modification, hereinafter described. Fig. 5 represents, also upon an enlarged scale, a perspective View of another modification, which will also be hereinafter 'more fully described.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved means for preventing the reins used for guiding a horse in driving from getting under the whiftletree of a carriage, and thus avoiding the annoyance and possible danger arising from such entanglement.

The essential feature of my improved device consists in a loop or ring projecting from the end of the whiffietree, which engages with a suitable strap or bent rod attached either to the thill or cross-bar of the carriage upon each side of the'latter.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe it more. in detail.

In the drawings, the part marked f represents a part of one of the thills; g, the crossbar of the thills, and h the whiffietree of an ordinary carriage, said whiffletree being pivoted at the center i and provided with a guardstrap, j, upon each side at a short distance from said pivot in the usual way. I make an adjustable connection between the whiffletree and thills by forming or fastening a ring or loop upon the end of said whiffletree, which slides back and forth,according to the motion of the latter,upon a bent rod or strap fastened at each end to the thills of the carriage, as preferred, thereby, as will be obviously seen, efiectually preventing the reins from passing under the end of the whiffletree, and consequently removing quite a serious annoyance as well as source of danger which has'heretofore existed in driving, especially in weather when horses are more or less annoyed by flies and other insects, which cause them to continually switch their tails about and produce the above result at frequent intervals, as is well known by all drivers of horses.

In all the figures of the drawings, except Fig. 5, I have represented the aforesaid connection as being made by fastening a loop, k, made of leather or similar material, to the end of the whiffletree, between the end of said whiffletree and the shoulder Z, formed on the trace or tughook m, said loop being passed around the upper part of a bent rod, a, fastened at its lower ends to the inner side of the thills f in any convenient manner, and is adapted to slide back and forth on said rod, being loosely fitted thereon,and said rod bent to conform with the swinging motion of the whiffletree, as is fully shown in the drawings.

Although I prefer this mode of attachment in practice, the same result may be obtained in various other similar ways, and I therefore do notlimit myself to the same. As, for instance, instead of apliable loop, k, being attached to the end of the whiffletree,the latter may be provided with a metal hook, k, as shown in Fig. 5, applied in the same, or in any other convenient manner, and instead of a bent rod, n, being used, as before described, a round or other shaped leather strap, a, fastened to the top of the whiffletree, as is shown in saidFig. 5, may be employed in lieu thereof, or both parts may be made of metal and one or the other covered with leather or similar material to prevent rattling.

The part a or a may be fastened either directly to the thill, as shown, or to the crossl Having described myimprovements in reinbar of said thill, according to. the nature of guards for whiffletrees, what I claim therein the carriage to which my improved device is applied. Said device, as will be readily seen, may be thus applied to any carriage at a trifling expense in comparison to the advantages derived therefrom by its use.

My improved device not only serves the purpose hereinbefore described, but also as a guard and additional security in case of the breakage or detachment of the whiffletree from its usual fastenings.

I am aware of the Patents No. 286,145, granted to N. G. Moody, October 2, 1883, and No. 302,573, granted to H. Libby, July 29, 1884, and therefore make no claim, broadly, to a device for the purpose hereinbefore stated, my claim being limited to a device substair tially like the one herein shown and described.

as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with the whiffletree and thills ofa carriage or other vehicle, of a device for preventing the reins used for guiding a horse in driving from getting under the end of said Whiflletree and becoming caught thereon, consisting of a loop or ring formed upon or fastened to the end of the whiflietree, which is adapted to engage with and slide upon a bent rod or strap attached to said thills, substantially as shown and described.

FRANK E. COREY.

WVitnesses:

XVALTER B. NoURsn, ALBERT A. BARKER. 

